Piper named top coach finalist

Nicholls State men’s basketball coach J.P. Piper is among the 10 finalists being considered for the 2009 Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award, the NCAA announced.

Piper, who has led the Colonels to an 18-10 overall record (11-4 SLC) this season, is in his fifth year at the helm of the program.

The Hugh Durham Award is given annually to the nation’s top mid-major coach, as voted on by the 20-member panel. The winner will be presented with the award at the 2009 Final Four in Detroit.

“Coach Piper is certainly deserving of this award based on the turnaround season the Colonels have had this year,” Nicholls athletic director Rob Bernardi said. “I could not be more pleased for him personally because I know that he has struggled through some difficult times as the program experienced growth. It’s great to see the program reach this level of recognition and see J.P. be recognized for this.”

In 2005, the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award was renamed in honor of Hugh Durham who retired at the end of the 2004-05 season. Durham is one of 12 coaches to have led two different programs to the NCAA Final Four (Florida State, 1972 and Georgia, 1983). He is the only coach to lead both teams to their only Final Four appearance.

The previous winners of the award are Keno Davis (Drake) 2008, Gregg Marshall (Winthrop) 2007, Pat Flannery (Bucknell) 2006 and Bob Thomason (Pacific) 2005.

Piper said he is honored to have a chance to be in the same company, but the credit goes to everyone around him.

“It’s a wonderful honor to be nominated and recognized,” he said. “I really believe that is a function of a great coaching staff and a great group of young men that we get to coach. It would not be possible without all of those people who do what they do every day. The fact that I get recognized for it is nice, but it’s not a one-man show.”

“I’m honored and excited, obviously, but it’s really an award for our whole program. It means that we have great kids and a great coaching staff and that we’re doing the right thing, so it’s their honor as much as it is mine,” he added.

Other finalists are Duggar Baucom (VMI), Randy Bennett (St. Mary’s), Todd Bozeman (Morgan State), Ed Conroy (The Citadel), Brad Greenberg (Radford), Ben Jacobson (Northern Iowa), Saul Phillips (North Dakota State), Randy Rahe (Weber State) and Brad Stevens (Butler).

last night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Roug. Photo by Doug Keese/Nicholls State University11/28/07

Doug Keese